The Crick Africa Network (CAN) has awarded Dr Tracey Jooste, an Early Career Researcher of the SU Immunology Research Group (IRG) within the Division of Immunology, a prestigious fellowship through the African Career Acceleration Fellowship.
Dr Jooste is one of 8 leading African researchers to be awarded the new CAN African Career Acceleration Fellowship, supported by LifeArc. This four-year fellowship will support Dr Jooste’s research efforts in collaboration with researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
Relapse after initial successful anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment remains a major challenge for our efforts to shorten TB treatment regimens. Dr Jooste’s study aims to explore the ability of host transcriptomic biomarkers and genetically controlled immune signatures to serve as predictive indicators of high risk for poor treatment outcomes in individuals on TB treatment. Embarking on this project not only addresses a critical gap in our understanding of TB relapse but also has broad implications for public health by paving the way for more precise and personalized therapeutic approaches.
In addition to the funding support, Dr Jooste will also receive mentorship and guidance on how to translate her findings into an effective treatment monitoring tool to aid in the control and eradication of TB.
Dr Jooste’s ultimate objective is to “establish myself as an independent researcher and contribute to advancing genomic resources in Africa, and it’s understudied yet extremely diverse populations.”
We look forward to seeing the impact of Dr Jooste’s work and congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.
Read more on the Crick Africa Network news page here.